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Everyone needs a plan B.

At some point we all seem to get caught in a storm, as they say ‘all best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry’. The world is complicated and with that some of us humans are pretty stupid too. So what’s gone wrong I hear you ask? Well, a broken collarbone, a bit of an inconvenience which puts my early year plans in jeopardy!

Where do I start?

The Festive 500 was a complete failure due to a prolonged bout of virus which ran on well into the New Year. A short two week interlude and it was back again in January with a vengeance. The misery continued into February when I was involved in an idiotic crash resulting in a broken collarbone. Suddenly my cycling plans for the early part of the year was torn to shreds and on the verge of flying out the window.

A visit to the hospital

The collarbone of the lot was of course the most damaging. I’m now past laying blame and have learnt some lessons, the main ones being keep your eyes firmly on the goals and don’t get involved in activities that could put them in jeopardy. The end result of the crash was a deformed clavicle where I had a previous clavicle fixation done back in 2013. With a 50 degree angulation clearly the only way forward was to remove the plate, bone graft and re-fix the clavicle. That’s now been done so I’m in a position to put it all behind me and move on.

A visit to the hospital is required.

Reflecting

As we move into March and the first day of Spring its time to pull myself together and get going again. I’ve been sitting in the doldrums feeling sorry for myself for to long. During that time I’ve been through a range of negative emotions, anger , towards the manner of the crash, then a state of general sadness, dismay, hopelessness and disappointment. These thoughts and a wandering mind can be your worst enemy. That’s the time to step back, reflect and move on.

A friend recently said ‘You just have to force your way through it until you find the joy again. Its really easy to get bogged down when somebody else is the cause forcing what could be a lengthy recovery, you’ve just got to slog it out until it comes back round’. That’s sound advice. At the end of the day your in nobody’s shoes but your own. On that note I’d like to thank everybody that’s given me encouragement and support along the way, it really does mean a lot.

Indoor training it is then

I’m about to start riding again, but on the indoor trainer, first spin tonight actually. The good news is that I recently got hold of a set of Vector 2 power based pedals which have been sitting in the box for the last few weeks, so a good time to try them out. Although I’ve never been that keen on indoor training, I’ve accepted its what’s most practical for the time being so overall I’m feeling much better and keen to get started. Onwards and upwards as they say.

Ready to turn the wheels.

I’m very much hoping the last few months have simply been a case of me being efficient with bad luck and I’ve managed to get it all out of the way early. Fingers crossed that’s the case. Its onto plan B now, that being to be back in reasonable shape ready to hit the road with a vengeance early April.

Stay safe out there on them bikes folks, there’s some loony cyclists about.

Welcome

Welcome to my blog. I am an ultra-endurance cyclist, I ride unsupported and like to challenge myself over long distances.
In 2017 I'll once again be racing in the Transcontinental Race (TCR), a race which involves riding 4,000kms across the European continent without any assistance. It starts at the end of July. In early June I'll be racing in the Transatlantic Way Race. Essentially its a 2,500km unsupported circumnavigation of the whole of Ireland. This race will be preparation for the TCR!
On here you'll be able to track my preparation and experiences all the way up to both start lines. I hope you find it of interest.